**Donald Duke, has said he would run for the office of Nigerian president on the platform of SDP. Mr Duke, a two-term governor of Cross River State on the platform of PDP had been expected to run on the party’s platform.

He, however, announced his decision at the national secretariat of the SDP on Tuesday afternoon where he was received by the national secretary, Shehu Gabam, the publicity secretary, Alfa Mohammed, amongst others. He said he left his party of about 20 years because it had derailed and lost its values and was not the same party he joined back then.

Mr Duke’s tenure in Cross River is remembered by many Nigerians for massive projects like the Tinapa resort and the Obudu cattle ranch; both of which have been mired in controversy since his exit.

*. Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation, has written to MTN Nigeria demanding a payment of $2 billion in tax arrears, TheCable understands.
This is coming barely a week after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) demanded a refund of $8.1 billion it sold to the telecoms giant between 2007 and 2015 as dividends to offshore shareholders.
In 2015, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) fined MTN $5.2 billion for failing to disconnect unregistered subscribers.

*. INEC, in Kano has registered over 5 million eligible voters that would cast their votes, in the 2019 General Elections. In a statement signed by the Commission’s spokesman, Alhaji Garba Lawal Muhammad and made available to reporters on Tuesday ,said, during the recently concluded , Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) “540, 792” newly registered voters were captured, in Kano. According to him, “Total number of voters in Kano, including the 2015 registered voters stands at 5,535,703. This figure may change, after consolidation of data and AFIS.”

NEWS FLASH

FOREIGN SCENE:
Once again, U.S. President Donald Trump blasted CNN and NBC News in a tweet criticising NBC’s handling of a story on movie producer, Harvey Weinstein and suggesting a “look at their license”. Trump has frequently criticised the U.S. news media for what he has said is unfair coverage of him. “I have long criticised NBC and their journalistic standards-worse than even CNN. Look at their license?” he tweeted.
Trump blasted NBC and other TV networks last October, calling their news “Fake” and suggesting he would “challenge” their licenses.

AFRICAN ISSUES:
The South African economy on Tuesday slipped into a technical recession according to Bloomberg. The latest economic data by the country’s statistics agency showed second quarter gross domestic product (GDP) declined by about -0.7 per cent, driven by the poor performance in key sectors, including agriculture, transport and retail businesses. It is the first time since 2009 that the South African economy, the second largest in Africa after Nigeria, will be going into recession. This is coming barely six months since the current president, Cyril Ramaphosa, took over power.

3., PRESIDENCY:
President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigeria’s partnership with China through the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) has resulted in the execution of vital infrastructure projects across the country, valued at over $5 billion. The president disclosed this in Beijing, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu. He added that the president’s disclosure was at the FOCAC Round Table meeting, attended by African leaders and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

PRESIDENCY:Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has openly disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to cede police establishment powers to state governments. Mr Osinbajo said he had been a longstanding proponent of state police and, in fact, found the current federally-structured police system largely ineffective. “I have argued in favour of State Police, for the simple reason that policing is a local function,” Mr Osinbajo said in a response to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar Tuesday. “You simply cannot effectively police Nigeria from Abuja.

STATE GOVERNMENT:After the wide endorsements of Governor Akinwumi Ambode for second term by several stakeholders in Lagos State which generated the belief that the deal has been sealed for Ambode’s re-election in 2019, the governor is currently facing severe threat to his re-election until the issues are taken care of. National Daily gathered that dull relationship between Ambode and Babatunde Fashola since 2015 is playing out now that the incumbent governor is seeking the ticket of APC in Lagos State for a second term. The governor is widely believed to have introduced reforms that sought to jettison Fashola’s legacy

POLITICS:APC has released the timetable for its primaries ahead of the 2019 general election. In the timetable signed by the National Organising Secretary of the party, Emmanuel Ibediro, the APC said the activities will commence with the sale of forms from September 5 to 10.This will be followed by nationwide congresses on September 12 to elect delegates for other primaries except the presidential which will be decided by direct primary. The timetable showed the presidential primary will be conducted on September 20 while governorship primaries will be held on September 26.

POLITICS:The former Governor of Delta State, Chief James O. Ibori has debunked the statement credit to him by Daily Post in her publications titled “PDP sent me to jail, APC released me’ – Ibori plans defection”. In a response to a text message sent to Chief Ibori’s spokesperson, Tony Eluemunor, by Swift Reporters he said,, “Did APC release him? That’s a proof that that phrase could never have come from Ibori”. It will be recalled that Daily Post said a sources close to Chief James Ibori , a two-time former governor of Delta State hinted that all was ow set for him to dump PDP for APC

AVIATION:The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) on Tuesday said it would deliver the Air Transport Licence (ATL) and the Aircraft Operators Certificate (AOC) to the new national carrier, Nigeria Air, in the next 90 days. The Director-General, NCAA, Muktar Usman, a captain, who announced this at a news conference in Lagos, said the proposed December take off of the carrier was still feasible. The Airline Transport Licence (ATL) is the highest level of aircraft pilot certificate. Those certified as Airline Transport Pilots (unconditional) are authorised to act as pilot in command on scheduled air carrier’s aircraft.

NIGERIAN POLICE:Five persons have been detained for “unauthorised” search conducted at the home of Edwin Clark, a prominent Niger-Delta leader. Police spokesperson Jimoh Moshood said in a statement Tuesday night that the raid was illegal, and the Inspector-General Ibrahim Idris has ordered immediate apprehension of four officers and an informant who were identified as having participated in it. “The Inspector-General of Police is not aware and did not order the raid of the residence of the Elder Statesman, Chief Edwin Clark,” Mr Moshood said while reacting to the Vanguard’s version of the story.

INSURGENCY:The international donor conference on Boko Haram holding in Berlin on Monday pledged $2.52 billion to help countries in the Lake Chad Basin fight Boko Haram.Germany’s foreign ministry said the aid would be disbursed “in the coming years” to Nigeria, Chad, Niger and Cameroon, where the jihadist group launched frequent suicide bomb attacks from its bases in Lake Chad.The two-day conference, which is being attended by more than 70 states, international organisations and non-governmental organisations, raised $672 million in 2017.